UNC Game Week: CJ Mims, Natrone Means Interviews Ahead of Trip to UCF

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina defensive lineman CJ Mims and running backs coach Natrone Means met with reporters on Thursday at Kenan Football Center, before heading out to the team’s afternoon practice session.

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Coach Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels (2-1) play at Central Florida (2-0) in two days, a road assignment in Orlando, Fla., at the Acrisure Bounce House. Watch the interviews with Mims and Means in their entirety below, and read some noteworthy excerpts from their comments.

The 6-foot-2, 300-pound Mims has recorded eight tackles and forced a fumble through three games this season. He spent the last three seasons at East Carolina, before entering the transfer portal. As a player, Means became one of the all-time great running backs in UNC history during his three-year college career (1990-92), before earning All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in the NFL.

CJ Mims

“The first game (against TCU) went how it went, but we come to practice every day trying to execute and get better. And one thing that we try to really stand on as a defensive front is to stop the run. I like to always say before the game, it starts with us, and that it’s going to end with us. And we took it as kind of our job, really, to set the tone for the (Richmond) game and stop the run.”

“Coach Belichick and the conversation that I had with him (in the transfer portal), we had a great talk and it just feels like the right place for me to be. … I would say it was (surreal) in the moment, and then I was also able to still stay close to home, where I’m from, North Carolina.”

“The (high) motor thing is something that I’ve always just instilled in me. I feel like that’s my, I wouldn’t say super power. But that’s something I really take pride in, my high motor and how I carry myself. Doesn’t matter what program I’m part of, I’m going to always push myself to that farther point. Now I’m blessed to be here and to continue to do that.”

Natrone Means

“After everything was announced that Coach Belichick was going to come on as the head coach of the program, I think we all were kind of taken aback and really didn’t know what our role was going to be. But after speaking to the administration, I was instructed to just patiently wait my time, and I would have a chance to sit down and talk with Coach and Mike (Lombardi) about whatever opportunities were going to be available for myself. And that’s eventually how it played out. We wrapped up the bowl season and transitioned into roster management. And we cast a broader net in terms of recruiting at that time. So just got to work evaluating prospects and waiting for things around my situation to be finalized. Once it was announced that I was going to be retained and kept on as the running backs coach, I was obviously very excited about that. Excited about this opportunity to work at the university where not only I played, but I’ve been a fan of since I was a child. So definitely excited and grateful to be here.”

“I think there are definitely some similarities (with true freshman running back Demon June). Obviously, both of us being from the state of North Carolina, having an opportunity to play early as freshmen. ‘JuJu’ actually played earlier than I did when I was a freshman. So you don’t have to reach too far to make those comparisons. But you know, it’s not where I’m at. It’s really about how can I help him, along with these other running backs that we have in the room, be the best version of themselves daily in order to give us the best chance to win football games.”